Public donations to Luigi Mangione’s ‘protection fund’ by the December 4th Legal Committee have exceeded $100,000 | EUROtoday

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Luigi Mangione supporters have donated tens of hundreds of {dollars} to “defence funds” arrange for him after he was arrested on suspicion of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The nameless fund “December 4th Legal Committee” surpassed greater than $100,000 in donations on the crowdfunding web site GiveSendGo by Sunday morning.

The group’s identify is an obvious reference to the day the 26-year-old allegedly gunned down the healthcare govt on a busy Manhattan road.

“We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right to fair legal representation,” the group mentioned in a press release.

It comes after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg described help for Mr Mangione as abhorrent amid fears he was being was a martyr.

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“Celebrating this conduct is abhorrent to me. It’s deeply disturbing,” Mr Bragg advised ABC News on Wednesday night time.

“And what I would say to members of the public, people who as you described are celebrating this and maybe contemplating other action, that we will be vigilant and we will hold people accountable,” he added.

Mr Mangione was arrested with a 3D-printed gun at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania on Monday following a six-day manhunt for the hooded shooter who shot Mr Thompson final week.

The gun matches three shell casings discovered on the crime scene and marked with “deny,” “defend” and “depose”, police officers mentioned this week.

Mangione additionally possessed a silencer, a 262-word manifesto, a spiral pocket book containing a “to-do list”, and a number of other false ID playing cards.

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Mr Thompson, 50, was shot within the again on 4 December outdoors the New York Hilton Midtown, with surveillance footage displaying a dark-hooded determine with a gray backpack firing from a number of toes away.

Since the capturing, the high-profile killing has gripped worldwide headlines. Mangione is presently being held in a Pennsylvania jail with out bond as he awaits extradition to New York the place he faces a homicide cost. He additionally faces prices for gun legislation violations in Pennsylvania.

However, underneath New York legislation, he’s solely charged with homicide within the second diploma, which carries a penalty of 15 years to life in jail.

This is as a result of the harder first-degree homicide cost solely applies to a slender listing of aggravating circumstances, together with when the sufferer is a choose, a police officer or a primary responder, or when the killing entails a murder-for-hire or an intent to commit terrorism, in line with CNN.

After his arrest, Mangione was charged and arraigned on 5 Pennsylvania offenses together with forgery, falsely figuring out himself, and carrying a gun with no license.

On Monday, he made a quick look on the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg the place he was knowledgeable of the costs in opposition to him and mentioned he understood.

The suspect returned to the Blair County Courthouse as he confronted an extradition listening to Tuesday after New York prosecutors charged him with second-degree homicide in reference to the Mr Thompson’s killing.

“It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience,” Mangione yelled as he was escorted in handcuffs into the courthouse.